Santa Was Here
by Evenstar1002
Summary: On Christmas morning, Donna's and Harvey's kids try to speed up the process of getting to their Christmas presents quicker.


A/N: Repost of my contribution to the Darvey Advent Calendar 2019 - #3

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_**Santa Was Here**_

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**.-*°*****-.**

"Lily. Lily, wake up." A hushed whisper reverberates through the early morning hours; daylight barely even peeking in through the closed curtains of the nursery. "Lily, wake up."

"Lim?" A croaky voice replies, tiny hands rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Are you awake, Lily?" Liam asks again, hovering closer over his baby sister's frame.

"Why you wake me?" The little redhead yawns, sitting up in her four-poster bed.

"Santa was here!" Liam exclaims excitedly and his voice and the statement are enough to rouse Lily's still sleepy spirits.

"Santa here?" She asks with wide eyes, pushing the covers from her tiny body and rolling out of bed. Before Liam has any chance to stop her or say anything more, Lily is already running out of her room, bare feet padding over the cold wooden floor down the hallway.

A squeal echoes through the quietness of the still early morning, as Liam arrives in the living room seconds after his sister. "Ssssssh, Lily! Mom and dad are still sleeping!"

"We wake up?" Lily asks, her hazel eyes wide and excited as they dart between the presents beneath the tree and her big brother, while she is jumping up and down energetically.

"I have a better idea," Liam shushes her and Lily finally calms down, looking at her big brother expectantly. "If we prepare breakfast first, we'll get our presents even quicker."

Confused, the little redhead looks at Liam. "Why?"

"Because mom always wants to prepare breakfast first, so that we can cuddle on the couch after the unwrapping."

His explanation doesn't seem to convince Lily, as agitation contorts her innocent face. "But presents?"

Liam shakes his head gently, realizing that explaining wouldn't lead him anywhere. So instead, he reaches for his sister's hand. "Come on, just help me."

They make their way to the open kitchen and after looking around uncertainly for a moment, Liam takes the lead. With more confidence now, he walks over to the fridge, grabbing the gallon of milk and the carton with eggs; handing the latter to his sister, who places them on the island in the middle of the room.

"Can you please get the blue bowl from the drawer in the corner?" Liam instructs the little girl, who is padding barefoot through the kitchen, still not really understanding what they were doing in the first place and why she couldn't just unwrap her presents. But since she trusts her brother, she does as she's told and retrieves the cask for him.

"Presents now?" Lily asks with sparkling and hopeful eyes, as she hands him the plastic bowl.

"Not just yet. But very soon." Being absolutely convinced of knowing what he's doing, Liam pours half a package of flour into the bowl. Lily is climbing onto the bar stool next to him and then onto the kitchen island right afterwards, trying to get an even better look at what her brother is doing. Liam, sitting on a bar stool himself, reaches for the milk next, adding a gracious amount of liquid to the flour. A white cloud of dust explodes from the vessel, making Lily sneeze in the process, due to her head having been hovering over the mixing bowl a little too closely.

Liam has to suppress a laugh that's bubbling in his chest upon seeing his sister's dusty face, eyes wide as she looks back at him. "Sorry, Lily," Liam giggles his apology, handing her the dishtowel before moving to the opposite side of the kitchen to get one of the spatulas. Biting his lower lip in concentration, Liam begins to expectedly stir the milk-flour mixture, spreading even more of the white cloud all around them.

When the boy is satisfied with the texture, he asks Lily to hand him the box with sugar that's stored on the kitchen island next to the salt and a huge variety of herbs and spices. Since neither Lily nor Liam can read so far, unbeknownst to them, Lily hands him the casket with salt instead of the one with sugar. Still confident in what he's doing, Liam adds first one and then a second tablespoon of sugar turned salt; and just for good measure a third one right afterwards.

He stirs the dough again with his spatula, biting his lips once more in concentration, attempting to remember what else needed to go into it. Lily studies him curiously, flour still sticking to her forehead and hair, as she watches every move that he makes. A loud rumble erupts from the little girl's stomach, causing Liam to shift his focus from the task at hand to the redhead beside him. The stirring ceases for a moment, as he jumps down from the bar stool and walks over to the supply cabinet; pulling out a Tupperware box with a pink and lilac lid. With the container still in one arm, he climbs back onto the stool and opens the box for Lily.

"Here, take one of these until we're ready," the blonde boy offers.

"But Santa cookies?" Lily asks surprised, remembering how her mom had explained to her how those cookies were reserved for Santa.

"Look, Santa already had his cookies," Liam replies with a knowing smile, pointing at the plate and the glass of milk that they had placed on the table by the fireplace the night before. Even from the kitchen island Lily could see that the glass was only half full anymore and that of the three cookies only half a cookie had remained on the plate. Immediately, the little bundle of energy jumps up on the counter and squeals in joy. "Santa here!"

"I told you!" Liam chuckles, reaching for Lily's wrist to calm her down again. "But sssssh. Mom and dad are sleeping, remember?"

**.-*°*****-.**

Donna's eyes snap open immediately, maternal instincts chasing off the post-coital bliss she's been enjoying in her husband's embrace until only seconds ago. "Did you hear that?"

"Hmm," Harvey mumbles, his nose nuzzling the hair at the back of her head, as his arms pull her even tighter against his front.

For a few moments there is utter silence, until Donna hears some shuffling noises coming from down the hall. "There, did you hear it?"

Harvey's hand slides languidly over Donna's chest, fingertips circling her hardening nipple in an attempt to keep her distracted and in bed for a little while longer.

"Maybe Santa _came_?" Harvey grumbles hoarsely, his voice contorted from the early morning hours and the earth-shattering orgasm that had wrecked his body only mere moments prior.

Despite the horrible joke, Donna can't help but chuckle at Harvey's words. "I think it was someone else who just came," Donna states matter-of-factly, clenching her over-sensitized walls around his still semi-hard erection. The movement has him hissing and pressing further into her on instinct, and fifteen or twenty years ago it would have been enough to get him going a second time right then and there. Unfortunately, time and age require more resting periods in between these days, but the overwhelming intensity of their lovemaking and their orgasms without a doubt make up for that fact.

A loud clatter and a girlish giggle break the spell around them and between them at last and under protest and groans and sighs, Harvey pulls back, sacrificing their intimate connection for the sake of the parental bliss that would most certainly await them in the living room.

"Your offspring seems to be awake," Donna deadpans, twisting around beneath the blanket to get a look at her husband.

"How are they always '_my'_ offspring when they do something they shouldn't be doing?" Harvey wants to know, greeting her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"_Because_." The single word is pronounced in such a way that Harvey wouldn't have dared to keep asking, but Donna is only too happy to elaborate. "Because, if it wasn't for your sperm, they wouldn't be doing it in the first place."

"Last time I checked, making babies still takes two," Harvey chuckles, leaning in for a quick kiss. "And I didn't hear you complain about the baby making part of it a couple of minutes ago." He winks at her and Donna lovingly slaps her hand against his chest.

"You're an idiot," she laughs, while shaking her head at the same time.

"And yet you married me," Harvey replies triumphantly, his trademark smile crinkling his eyes and lightening up his whole face.

"I sure did," Donna agrees, his grin eliciting one of her own. "And I love my idiot," she adds, stealing another kiss from him, that leaves her lips and body tingling.

"And I love you," Harvey returns, the softness in his voice leaving no doubt about the intensity and gravity of his feelings.

After sharing one last kiss, they finally crawl out of bed. Taking a quick detour to the bathroom, the couple slip back on their pajamas and then their cozy bathrobes, before they make their way through their house. As soon as they enter the living room, finding the utter chaos that is ruling all around, Harvey is inclined to reevaluate his thought about parental bliss for the shortest of seconds. But then he hears his kids' carefree laughter, feels Donna's hand squeezing his, smells the scent of pine tree and cinnamon, sees the love and happiness in their home and just like that chaos turns into one of those perfect moments you never want to end.

"What are the two of you thinking you're doing?" Donna wants to know, as they walk closer to their kids.

Lily looks at her parents like a deer caught in the head-lights, face still white with flour and cheeks red with excitement, whereas Liam stands on the bar stool, proudly announcing that he had prepared the dough for the pancakes he knew his dad always made on Christmas morning.

Warmth is filling up Harvey's entire being and as he watches his kids and holds Donna's hand, he thinks he's never been happier than in this very moment. Until he remembers that almost every moment feels like this these days and months and years, which just makes him only that much happier.

He rounds the kitchen island to meet Liam there, who is still standing delightedly on the bar stool, sporting that identical smile that had made Donna fall in love with Harvey all those years ago. That made Donna fall in love with both of them over and over again.

"Hey buddy," Harvey says, ruffling through the boy's hair as he takes a look into the blue bowl. He stirs the liquid, finding chunks of flour floating around in the almost a bit too chewy dough. Poking his finger in, Harvey has to fight off the grimace that wants to steal its way onto his face upon tasting the salty tinge. He coughs to cover up the distaste on his tongue and when his eyes find Donna's, she is fighting against a fit of laughter of her own.

"That's what you get for eating raw dough," Donna scolds her husband, still trying to suppress the smile, as she waves her finger at him.

"What? It tastes delicious," Harvey replies convincingly, only Donna being able to see right through him.

"Alright," she chuckles after having digested the situation. "What do you say we'll get you cleaned up, my little angel," she says, turned towards Lily, before focusing back on her two guys, "and you two get the pancakes ready, so we can finally check out what Santa has brought? I've been waiting for it all morning." She winks at her husband, before smiling at Liam and Lily.

The latter has just jumped up on the kitchen island again, squealing excitedly. "PRESENTS! PRESENTS!"

"Come here, snowwoman," Harvey laughs, the excitement of his daughter infecting the atmosphere of the whole room. He has barely a second to open his arms, when he finds Lily jumping into his embrace. He hugs her tightly for a second, before he sets her down on the ground.

The two male Specters watch their favorite redheads as they laugh and dance their way out of the room, then their attention shifts towards each other.

"I'm very proud of you, buddy," Harvey says, caressing Liam's back. "It's been very kind and considerate of you that you wanted to prepare our Christmas breakfast this morning."

"I wanted you to get some more sleep," Liam replies seriously, seconds before a twinkle appears in his eyes. "And speed along the process of getting to our presents," he adds sheepishly, which makes Harvey chuckle.

"Then let's speed along, shall we?" Harvey agrees, pressing his lips against the side of Liam's head for a few seconds. "First, we need to start over though."

Before Liam has any chance to feel disappointed, Harvey is right there to redirect his thoughts. "See here?" Harvey motions to the bins on the kitchen island. "The one with the white lid is the one with sugar," he explains, reaching for it and placing it next to the bowl. "This one here with the letter S is the salt."

Realizing his mistake, Liam's forehead creases impishly. "Ooopsie," he mumbles and Harvey is relieved to find that Liam can laugh about his own mistake more than he's disappointed about it.

"I'll show you how it's done, and then next time you can do it by yourself, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Daddy!"

"But only preparing the dough, right? You're not supposed to-," Harvey begins but is interrupted by his son.

"Heat up the hotplate by myself, I know, dad," Liam replies, expelling a heavy sigh of half-annoyance, that only makes Harvey laugh again.

Ignoring the tone in Liam's voice, Harvey retrieves a fresh bowl before organizing all of the ingredients they'd need. He studies his son for a moment, who had been watching Harvey's every move. His smile spreads, as Liam's gaze finds his, a curious and interested expression on his boyish features.

"I never told you that," Harvey begins, closing the distance between him and Liam, "but the reason why these pancakes are the best ones you've ever eaten is because it's your grandma's secret recipe." That confession catches the rest of Liam's attention for good. Forgotten are thoughts about Christmas or Santa or presents, as he waits for his father to continue. "She used to make them when Uncle Marcus and I were kids and she'd always say that what made them so special was the extra love she always poured into them." Memories of his mom tug at his heart for a second, but one look at his son's big, brown eyes is all it takes to fill that fissure of sadness with healing love. "I'm gonna teach you the recipe, but you have to promise me that it'll stay a secret between us, okay, buddy?"

"Does mom know the recipe?" Liam asks, awe and surprise in the child's voice.

"You and I both know that your mom-"

"Careful what you're saying next, Specter." Donna's voice echoes through the space, making Harvey and Liam spin around to look at her. Little Lily is holding her hand – her face at last clean and rosy – while the look on Donna's face is caught between a warning and amusement.

"… doesn't know how to cook," Harvey finishes his sentence unperturbed.

With a raised eye-brow and her free hand stemmed against her hip, Donna walks closer.

"_What_. It's the truth," Harvey defends himself, another one of those intoxicating smiles stretching on his face.

"You're incorrigible," is all she says, shaking her head with a smile of her own. "But since I'm apparently no use in the kitchen, Lily and I will make ourselves comfortable on the couch instead," Donna states and the two saunter off through the doorway arch and seconds later disappear behind the backrest of the sofa.

Harvey and Liam get started with the pancakes then; with Harvey taking extra time to explain step by step how the perfect pancakes are being made. They are occasionally interrupted by Lily's high-pitched giggles, the sound a lot louder than Donna's voice, who had begun to read one of their daughter's favorite Christmas stories. Liam couldn't care less about the story in that moment though, as his interest lay solely on learning how to make his grandma's pancakes.

"Alright. That looks good," Harvey confirms, after Liam had just stirred the dough for at least three minutes. "See, all chunks are gone now."

"Oh yes, I can see it!" Liam agrees, happy and excited that he could be of help for his father.

"Very good. There is only one thing missing now. And that is the most secret part about it," Harvey tells his son, his voice dropping low.

"What is it?" Liam asks, the words barely above a whisper now.

"It's an ingredient I've secretly added to the recipe a couple of years ago," Harvey explains, reaching for one of the smaller bins among the herbs and spices. When he finds it, he shows the brown cask to his son before letting him smell the ingredient.

"Vanilla?" The boy asks surprised, his voice still low.

"Vanilla," Harvey replies with a nod, his eyes twinkling as he takes in Liam's face.

"Mom loves vanilla," his son murmurs.

"She sure does. That's why it goes in there," Harvey admits, before placing his finger over his lips. "But ssssh. It's a secret, remember?"

"It's a secret," Liam promises, before the two Specter men finish off their task.

Liam is still all caught up in watching his dad, who expertly moves around the kitchen; multitasking by flipping the three pans currently on the stove and by whirling around to grab plates and forks and spoons.

"Hey, you wanna make them extra special for your mommy and Lily?" Harvey whispers, so that the girls wouldn't hear him.

"Oh yes! A Christmas surprise!" Liam replies excitedly, clapping his hands. "What can I do?"

"You can get the whipped cream and the strawberries from the fridge and bring them back here. But quietly, okay?"

Following his father's wishes, Liam climbs quietly from the bar stool he's been sitting on for the past fifteen minutes and walks over to the fridge, where he gets everything they need. Harvey takes the strawberries and with Liam's help, they carefully begin to cut them into smaller pieces. Once they are done with the fruits, Harvey places two pancakes on each of the plates and with the whipped cream, they draw faces and beards on the round pastries, before finishing them off with strawberry hats.

"They look like Santa!" Liam asserts happily, proud of the creation he and his dad had made.

"They do, don't they?" Harvey responds, a little proud himself.

"We're artists like granny," Liam smiles and the fact that Liam spoke of her and knew her like that, even though he unfortunately never got to meet his grandmother, sends a surge of love and happiness through Harvey's being.

"Looks like we are," Harvey agrees, ruffling his son's hair once more. "Come on, let's feed our girls and then we can finally unwrap those presents," Harvey suggests then and without another word, Liam grabs two of the plates and carries them over to the living room.

Donna and Lily lay on the far corner of the couch, wrapped up in a fluffy red blanket. That's how Harvey and Liam find them; relaxed and content and with words of gratefulness, as they receive their breakfast.

Lily immediately puts the plate on the table, as a new wave of euphoria washes over her. "Breakfast here," she assesses, pointing at the plate. "Presents now?" Lily concludes, her big, hazel eyes drifting between her mom and her dad. Her youthful excitement makes Donna giggle and Harvey's heart sing, the sound and emotion only intensifying when Donna finally gives her blessing and Lily jumps up from her mother's side, nearly falling off the sofa in her rush to get to the Christmas tree.

Liam looks after her, before putting down his plate as well; for a second contemplating if he should eat first before it gets cold. But then the curiosity gets the better of him after all and he heads after his little sister without another second of hesitation.

"Santa here!" Lily squeals, looking at her big brother with the happiest of faces as he joins her by his side.

"I told you he was here!" Liam replies just as excitedly, reaching for one of the packages that had his name on it.

The parents on the sofa watch in love and in awe; Harvey having taken over Lily's place beneath the blanket by Donna's side. It's their seventh Christmas as a married couple now; their fifth since their first kid, and it still feels as new and exciting as if it was their first. They relish in each other's warmth, surrounded by their kid's ecstatic squeals of joy, and once again Harvey wishes he could just stop time right then and there.

"Thanks for making breakfast," Donna sighs, before putting another piece of pancake into her mouth.

"Everything for you," Harvey replies, leaning in to kiss Donna's temple.

A moment of silence stretches between them, that is soon filled up with an all too familiar tension.

"Strawberries and whipped cream though, Harvey?"

Her question elicits a chuckle from Harvey. "I thought you loved those?"

"_You _love those."

"And you love me, which means, you love them."

Donna twists her head, gazing at Harvey, who is already looking over at her with a smile.

"You really are _incorrigible_," she repeats her statement from earlier, not able to hide the smile from her words any more than from her face.

"I love you, too," Harvey simply replies because he knows that that's exactly what she meant.

For a moment there is silence again, as one of their wordless conversations transpires between them, that they had only perfected that much more over the past seven years.

"Merry Christmas, Harvey," Donna returns more softly a moment later, and it sounds like an _'I love you'_ to his ears all over again.

"Merry Christmas, my love."

**.-*°*****-.**


End file.
